The Darkness of the Eternal Swordsman - Part One
by Daniel the Dragonfly
Summary: Cruxis prepares for its final battle against Lloyd Irving and his friends, but the once gentle idealist has changed since he started his campaign against them. Plagued by a darkness in his heart Lloyd finds himself distanced from his friends and drawn towards the ideals of his enemy. In the final climatic battle with Mithos, Lloyd turns the tide of battle for the worst. Rated M.
1. The seed they planted together

**The Darkness of the Eternal Swordsman**

**Part One:**

**The Fall of the Eternal Swordsman**

**A/N: **After picking up _Tales of Symphonia Chronicles _for the ps3 and replaying the game I remembered this little fic I started back when I was sixteen (I'm now twenty-four so it was a long time ago now). I remembered how much I loved writing it and how I left it unfinished. In truth, it had gotten too out of hand for me to handle. I'd thrown every idea I had into it and it became a jumbled mess of plot holes and some extremely shitty writing on my part. So after much (much) thought I decided to rewrite the damn thing, starting completely from scratch. I took on OCs last time (which was probably my first mistake) and though I did really love some of the characters I used, ultimately, they weren't mine and in hindsight it was not a good idea. If the people who used to follow my fics are still around, I hope you like this revamp. Feels strange coming back to something I gave up on years ago but here's hoping I stick with it this time. So basic info before we get started; this is a SheenaxLloyd pairing fic (to this day, still my favourite pairing in any video game I have played) and is a "what-if" story. This time is rated M. I've matured since last time and I hope my writing can show that. Also a warning; as this is a "what-if" there will of course be moments when the key characters act out of character so be ready for that. Anyway, enough rambling, on with the tale!

**Summary: **Sheena had noticed that Lloyd had changed lately. Prone to new fits of anger and aggression the once gentle idealist she had fallen so much in love with was being replaced by an angry and sometimes cruel young man. Yet despite it all, she still loved him and only hoped once the angels of Cruxis were dealt with, her gentle idealist would return. But the skies are growing darker over both worlds as Cruxis prepares for its last battle against their enemies and Lloyd Irving is about turn the tide of battle for the worst...

xxxx

**Chapter One: **The Seed they planted together

Sheena kept a firm hold on her coffee, the heat from the mug warming her hands. Flanoir was always cold, but tonight it seemed even more so. Despite the tavernkeep's constant battle with the hearth to keep the place warm, Sheena still sat cold and uncomfortable. She eyed her companion enviously before looking back down at her coffee. Her companion wasn't shivering; in fact, she looked perfectly content as she sipped on a cup of warm, herbal tea.

"When do you think Lloyd will be back?" she asked with a flick of long, sun-yellow hair. She smiled as she spoke, and Sheena found herself smiling back. The girl's smile had always being infectious.

"I don't know," Sheena replied looking back down at her coffee. She had barely drunk any of it; she had only wanted it so she would have something warm in her hands.

"He said he wouldn't be long, that he just wanted to think," Sheena continued, still not taking her eyes from the mug.

"Do you think he's still mad at the Professor?" the blonde girl's smile had gone now. "I've never seen him shout like that before."

"I don't know Colette," Sheena said quietly. "But Raine didn't do anything wrong."

"I know," Colette said sadly. "He's getting worse, isn't he?"

She didn't reply. Sheena didn't want to admit it but Colette was right. Lloyd _was_ getting worse. He was snapping at everyone now, getting into arguments over the most trivial of things, sometimes he would even get aggressive. Something about Lloyd Irving had changed in the past few weeks and Sheena had grown about him. At first she didn't notice it, even when some of the group were whispering about it. In her naiveté and her growing affection for him, she had just thought everyone was being too hard on him. That was, until, he had snapped at her as well.

It had only been a few days ago, just after the commotion at Altessa's house. Lloyd had gone off by himself while everyone else tried to sort out the mess. Raine was doing what she could to keep the old dwarf alive and the others were trying to clean up the destruction caused by Mithos when he slaughtered the Renegades.

Sheena had broken away to go find Lloyd. He hadn't gotten far, just to the outskirts of Ozette, his hands behind his head as he looked up at the sky. She called for him, and she had been shocked to see Lloyd greet her with a smile. When she caught up with him she wasn't sure what to say, so she stupidly asked him if he was ok. Lloyd's reaction had taken her by surprise. He laughed, but not for long. His face quickly became still, and cold. His warm, beautiful smile was long gone and something about his soft brown eyes was wrong. They were dark and looked empty. He had started ranting about everything. About Mithos and Yuan, the failings of the Renegades and that he had just found out his worst enemy was also his father and that, ultimately, one of them would end up killing the other.

"But maybe it doesn't have to be that way, maybe you could..."

"Maybe what? Sheena? Ask him to leave Cruxis for me? For the son he abandoned, right after he killed my mom? Ask him to see reason? To fight by his son's side? No! That bastard is our enemy! I will kill him for everything he's done to us."

"Lloyd, I'm only trying to help," she replied.

"Well I don't remember asking you for it," he shot back with venom.

"Lloyd, you're upset, you're confused, you're-"

"You don't know what I'm feeling!" He cried. "You don't know anything. You're always shoving that shit down my throat. How could you possibly understand what I'm going through?"

"I know what it's like to-"

"Save it!" Lloyd snarled. "I don't care. I doubt you'd say anything useful anyway."

She hadn't been sure what to say to that. She just wanted to help him. To be there for him like he was for her.

"Maybe I should-" she began.

"Maybe you should," he snapped back. "Before you turn this around so it's all about you. All about your problems, all about how everything is _so hard_ for you-"

That had been it, without even thinking about it she slapped him right across the face, and hard. So hard in fact it had hurt her wrist. She could tell he hadn't expected that. He pressed his hand against the new red mark on his face and his eyes widened. The softness came back in them and he had realised what he had said.

"Sheena I-"

"Screw you Lloyd," she interrupted, trying so hard not to cry in front of him. He didn't deserve to know just how much he had upset her. "You're such an asshole."

She ran off, back to Altessa's, fighting back the tears. She wouldn't let anyone see her cry. Only Lloyd had seen her cry. He had been there for her in her time of need and when she tried to do the same for him, he had thrown it back in her face. That hurt. The fact that he wouldn't let her be his shoulder to cry on. That he was perfectly content to wallow in his own toxic thoughts and even having the gall to say she would make everything bad that was happening about her. How dare he? After everything they had said to each other, how could he possibly think that way about her?

He returned a few hours later, just as the sun was rising. Everyone was preparing to leave and even though she swore she wouldn't let him so much as look her, she didn't stop him when he came to her. His big brown eyes so full of regret. He knew just how much he had hurt her; it was hurting him just as much.

He threw his arms around her, and instead of pushing him away like she should have done, she wrapped hers around the back of his neck, burying her face in his chest, silently sobbing as he apologised with such sincerity.

"I'm so sorry, I'm such a jerk," he said, his voice shaky. "You were just trying to help, and I was..."

"An asshole?" she finished, half-laughing, half-crying.

"Yes, an absolute asshole. I'm so sorry Sheena, I won't ever hurt you again, I promise..."

"You'd better not; I can't promise I won't kill you."

Her eyes met as his as he brushed away a single tear from her face. Why was it he had such an effect on her? She should still be mad at him. She shouldn't even be talking to him, much less having her arms wrapped around his neck. But try as she might, she had too soft a spot in her heart for Lloyd Irving.

"He's back," Colette said, interrupting her thoughts.

Sure enough, there he was, making his way towards them. There was still snow on his shoulders and hood, as well as new rips and tears in his cloak.

He sat down next to Sheena and she shivered as be brought more of the outside cold in with him. He took off his hood and shook his shoulders a little, some of the snow falling to the wooden floor.

"Jeez Lloyd," Sheena scowled as some fell on her knee.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"Never mind, here look," Sheena said sliding a bowl over to him. "Saved you some stew, it should still be warm."

"Ah great, thanks, I'm starving!" He smiled as he began gulping down. "Where are the others?" He asked after slurping a mouthful of gravy and meat.

"Presea went to bed a couple of hours ago and Zelos is out in the city somewhere," Sheena replied. "He said he didn't want to eat in a dive like this."

"Typical," Lloyd muttered, slurping up more meat chunks. "Regal and Genis go with the Professor then?"

"Yeah," Colette answered quietly. "They went as soon as you left."

"Good," he said. "No need to dillydally any longer than we need to."

Neither Sheena nor Colette said anything. It would probably just start-up another argument, and they didn't want that, not now. Sheena could understand why Lloyd was impatient. The longer they waited around in Flanoir for Raine and the doctor to help Altessa, the longer Cruxis had to plan their next move. Lloyd wanted to attack Cruxis immediately, but Raine had insisted they help Altessa first. This had caused an argument between the two and Sheena had never seen either of them so angry with someone before. It was scary.

It wasn't long afterwards that a tall man with long, red hair joined them, sitting down at the table with a sour face. He too didn't seem bothered by the cold. Maybe being a Chosen really did have its perks?

"What's the matter Zelos, you don't look happy," Colette asked.

"All the taverns in this city are the same. Full of hairy men all drinking and eating the same crap! Nowhere lively, nowhere fun, nowhere with lovely, half-naked women! What am I supposed to do whilst we wait for the others to get back?" Zelos whined, as if there was nothing worse in the world than his current predicament.

"You could have come training with me," Lloyd said before picking up the bowl and downing the rest of its contents.

"You went training out in that?" Zelos exclaimed, moving his head to show the weather outside. "I could barely see in front of me out there."

"It's nothing compared to what Cruxis will have waiting for us," Lloyd said matter-of-factly. "If we're gonna wait around for the others to get back we might as well do something useful. I hate to think what Mithos is planning now. We're wasting time here."

"I get it bud, I get it," Zelos sighed. "I still think we should have some fun though."

"We don't have time for fun dammit!" Lloyd growled. "We have to move! We have to be ready!"

"Sheesh! Give it a rest Lloyd," Zelos said shaking his head. "Just relax, let's order some drinks and..."

"I don't want a drink Zelos,"

"Come on Lloyd," Sheena whispered in his ear, putting a hand on his. "Please just relax; you've been so wound up lately. I'm worried about you."

He looked down at her hand on his, then his eyes met hers and his frown softened a little.

"Okay," he whispered back. "But only cause you want me to."

"Good enough for me," she smiled.

"Alrighty then!" Zelos chuckled clapping his hands together. "Where's that rather rotund bar wench, let's get some drinks in!"

"Zelos!" Colette frowned, slapping his arm, "don't be mean!"

"Easy now my little angel," Zelos winked getting to his feet. "Don't move! I'll be back with this place's finest swill before long!"

Colette shook her head and smiled as she watched Zelos head over to the bar, his long red hair swaying behind him. She turned her gaze to a large group of burly-looking men nearby, all of whom were sloshing their drinks happily, spilling ale and food into their beards as they laughed away. It was strange that people could be so happy at a time like this. They had no idea that not far above their heads and entire group of people were plotting their end.

The door to the tavern swung open and a cold wind blew into the room. A large man had entered, his head hidden under a cloak hood. Colette could hear the rattling of chainmail under his clothes and he was wearing the colours of the Flanoir City Guard

"Godfrey!" One of the burley men roared, holding his arms out in welcome as the large man shut the door behind him. "By Martel man we thought you'd gotten lost! Come, come, we've saved you a seat!"

"My thanks Tom," Godfrey said sitting down. "Sorry I'm late, had some nasty business on the road from Snowbay today."

Colette had heard the cityfolk talk of Snowbay before. It was a small port town on the edge of the region. It was the only way on to the snowy island region, for most everyone else anyway. When you have a rehiaird, however, there was no need to board a ship.

"What happened Godfrey?" Tom asked as he handed a large mug of ale to his friend.

"You know Old Samos?" Godfrey asked.

"The apothecary?"

"Harpy shit and dog piss merchant more like," Godfrey mumbled.

"What of him?"

"He came by the guardhouse a few days ago, saying a merchant family from Meltokio was due to arrive in the city that morning and meet him, only they never turned up." Godfrey paused to take a long drink from him mug.

"Captain didn't think anything of it at first, probably just late. Snowstorms often delay travellers. Porters can't stick to roads as it is. Anyway..." another long drink "... A few days later Old Samos comes back. Captain says he'll look into it, so he sends me and Left-handed Laurie to Snowbay to ask around."

"Aye, and what then?" another burly man asked.

"We ask around and most of the folk say that the merchant family had left four days before we arrived. An old man, his wife and two daughters. So, we start searching the roads, not just the ones to the city but the ones to some of the other villages. They might have been given wrong directions. Took us a while it did..."

Zelos had returned and set the drinks down on the table. Colette wasn't sure what he brought them but she didn't like the look of it.

"What is that?" She asked.

"Flanoir's finest cider... apparently," Zelos said peering into the mugs. "Personally I think its turpentine mixed with apple gel."

"Yes, it is rather... viscous, isn't it?" Colette swirled around the substance in her cup. "What do you think Lloyd?" She looked up from her cup to Lloyd. Sheena still had her hand on his and the two of them were whispering and giggling about something.

"I don't think they're paying attention my little angel," Zelos said, carefully sniffing his mug. His eyes twitched when he took in the smell. "Yuck!"

"At least they're both smiling," Colette beamed. "It's nice to see Lloyd happy."

"Beats moody, angry Lloyd that's for sure!" Zelos shrugged.

Lloyd turned from Sheena at mention of his name and moved his hand from hers. Colette noticed her smile fade a little.

"What's up?" Lloyd inquired.

"Oh nothing, we were just..."

"Dead!" Godfrey roared interrupting Zelos. "All of them dead!"

The room had gone silent now as Godfrey downed the last of his ale.

"Hildey! Another one! Now! Martel knows I need it!" He barked, wiping his chin.

"What happened, man?" Tom asked.

"Bandits it were, same ones who've been raiding the north roads. Those poor bastards weren't as well defended as we here either," he answered.

"Did you find the ones responsible?"

"No, we did not. But the captain has made this a top priority."

"How do you know it was bandits?" Another man asked. "There are monsters and wild beasts on the road these days."

"Because of how we found the women," Godfrey replied, his face pale. "The father, we found him near the ambush sight. Bandits must have killed him straight away... but his wife, his daughters..."

Hildey had brought Godfrey another ale and he took it quickly, downing the entire contents as fast as he could.

"Another one woman! Keep them coming!" He ignored Hildey's frown and wiped more ale from his beard. "We found them about half a mile off the road, half buried in the snow. Stripped naked, their bodies beaten. It's all too clear what those beasts did to those poor women."

Colette held her hand to her mouth and turned away. She didn't want to hear anymore. She looked to the rest of her group. Zelos was looking at his feet and playing with his thumbs idly as he held his mug, the contents still not drunk. Sheena looked as disgusted as Colette felt and Lloyd... His face was still, calm even. But there was something in his eye. Something dark... and cold.

"Man... talk about a buzz kill," Zelos eventually said.

"Zelos! How can you joke about something like that?" Colette cried. "What happened to those people is horrible."

"It's bad enough Cruxis is trying to make everyone's lives horrible," Sheena shook her head. "We shouldn't be doing this to each other."

"Someone should teach those men a lesson," Lloyd said quietly. "Someone should... _make them pay_."

"The guards will get them," Sheena said quickly, sensing Colette's uneasiness. "It's best not to dwell on it. We've got too much going on right now."

"Suppose..." he mumbled. "I'm going to bed."

He stood up, not looking at any of them, and went for the door at the back of the room which led to the upstairs sleeping quarters.

Sheena watched him leave before turning to meet Colette's large, crystal-blue eyes. They were thinking the same thing, and both were silently praying Lloyd wouldn't do what he was thinking of doing.

xxxx

Sheena knocked on his door, praying to Jizou that he was still in. Her prayers were answered with his voice from the other side of the door inviting her in.

"Oh, Sheena," he said as she entered. He looked calmer than he did earlier. That reassured her.

"Hey, just thought I'd... come say hi," she said with a half-laugh as she shut the door behind her.

"Trouble sleeping too?"

"Yeah," she said quickly, leaning against the small chest of drawers at the far end of the room. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," he answered turning to the window behind him. "Just, a lot on my mind I guess."

"I'll bet," she said, straightening out her kimono. "Listen do you um... wanna come outside with me? It's snowing and it's really pretty."

"Sure," he said with a smile. "I could use the distraction."

"Good!" She stood up straight. "Come on, streets should be pretty empty at this time."

As they walked through the cold, snowy streets of Flanoir, Sheena was happy to see that Lloyd was more like his old self now. They made small talk as they walked through streets, laughing when one of them tumbled in the snow and admiring just how amazing the city looked at this time.

"Are we going anywhere in particular?" Lloyd eventually asked.

"Up there," Sheena pointed to the old cathedral. "There's a balcony there that looks out over most of the city. I thought it'd be nice."

"That does sound nice," he smiled.

Sheena could feel her face go warm, even in Flanoir's cold. She liked it when he smiled at her. He smiled a lot, or used to. But he had a unique smile for her, and it was this smile she liked the best. It made her weak at the knees and she could always feel herself blush. It was childish, but she had never had anything like that growing up. She didn't run around the village worrying if other boys liked her. It was always about training and discipline. Most marriages in Mizuho were arranged. Old families merging their bloodlines together, or sometimes someone would marry outside the village with someone from another clan to bring new blood into the village. Almost everything was about duty, and though she didn't regret her upbringing, sometimes she thought about how things could have been different. What if she had grown up with Lloyd in Iselia? Was there a chance they could be together now?

"Wow, great view..." Lloyd said quietly. Sheena hadn't even noticed that they'd arrived.

"Yeah, great view," she said, not taking her eyes off of him.

"Strange to think that all of it could be gone soon."

"I know," she sighed, tearing her eyes away from him and looking out across the city. It really was a nice view. "Stranger to think that, while the city is so calm and peaceful right now, Mithos is planning his age of lifeless beings."

"Lifeless beings..." Lloyd said quietly.

"It's so absurd, isn't it?"

"Is it?" he replied, in barely more than a whisper.

"What?" she asked shocked. Surely she heard that wrong.

"Well, is it?" he turned to face her this time.

"Of course it is! You said so yourself!" She moved a little closer. "Do you really agree with it?"

"No, of course I just..." he scratched the back of his head. He looked confused. It was a look he had whenever Raine had made him do difficult homework.

"I'm not saying everyone should become a lifeless being. _That's _absurd but... the idea that everyone should become the same. I... I can see why that might be a good thing."

"No it's not, it's not at all!"

"Just hear me out," Lloyd said. "There'd be no more discrimination. That's the whole reason any of this happened in the first place, because people just can't accept what's different!"

"But turning everyone into lifeless beings?"

"You're not listening Sheena, I'm not agreeing with that I just-"he paused when he could hear the tone of his voice rising. "Let's just forget I said anything... I don't want to argue with you about it."

"It sounds almost as if you don't want to fight Mithos," Sheena said.

"Of course I do," he growled, turning back to face the city. "I want to kill him, after everything he's done; it's the least he deserves. All these people suffering cause of the Desians. All those people being forced to sacrifice themselves for 'world regeneration', all the people turned into exspheres! They all deserve justice!"

"And what about Kratos? He's your father! Your _father _Lloyd. As much as you hate him, you can't ignore that," she moved closer again.

"I know," Lloyd said looking down at his feet. "Sometimes it seemed as if he helped us along the way. But..." he paused for a moment. "No... no Sheena. It doesn't matter who he is. He betrayed us. Made us suffer. I keep thinking back to that first fight in the Tower of Salvation. If Botta hadn't turned up... he would have let Mithos kill me."

"He didn't have a choice Lloyd!"

"Of course he did. He could have chosen to protect his son," he snarled. "Instead he chose Mithos over me. He's not my father; Dirk is my only dad. Kratos is the enemy... and I won't hesitate to kill him either."

"I hope it doesn't come to that, for both your sakes," she said.

"Is it such a big deal to you that I don't kill Kratos?"

"Yes," she lowered her head.

"Why?"

"I'm jealous," she answered, quietly.

"What?"

"I never knew my parents Lloyd, you know that. You have this chance to know yours. I wouldn't waste it, if it were me," She looked back at the city. "It really is beautiful."

"It is," Lloyd agreed.

They stood there for a few moments longer, silence lingering between them as more and more snow fell. Eventually though it got too cold for Sheena and she wanted to go back inside.

"It's getting pretty cold, we should go back inside," she said.

"Yeah," he muttered. "I just want to say something first."

"What is it?" She asked, a little perplexed. He looked confused again.

"Thank you."

Sheena tried to hold back a laugh. She wasn't sure why he was thanking her, but he looked serious. Not angry serious like he had done a lot recently. Just plain old Lloyd serious.

"You're welcome, but, what are you thanking me for?"

"Everything. You've always been there for me, even when I'm being a jerk," he paused, but only for a second or two as he moved closer to her. His fingers were twitching and he looked into her eyes, moving closer still. She let herself edge closer to him, they were almost touching. She'd be lying if she said that she hadn't hope something would happen when she invited him out. Maybe spur him into admitting something she hoped was there. For so long now the two of them kept having "moments". She was convinced that maybe he cared for her as more than a friend. He'd called her special before, said she was the only one he could tell everything to. She suspected she cared for him more than he cared for her, but still she wouldn't admit just how much she did care for him, not even to herself. Not yet anyway.

"Thanks Sheena, you're a good friend."

"Great..." she said, feeling like a complete idiot for her previous trail of thought. "Friends."

She turned tail and began to walk away. Every time she convinced herself she was having a moment with Lloyd he said something that reminded her that it was not so. That he really did just think of her as a friend. She remembered overhearing him tell Presea once that she was "like a pal" to him.

"Sheena wait! What's wrong?" He called after her.

No. She was going to ignore him and storm off. She was a woman after all, and women stormed off very well.

"Sheena tell me what's wrong!"

"What's wrong?" She yelled back at him, turning and marching towards him. She knew this wasn't going to end well. She should have just ignored him and marched back to the inn. But she had to tell him _something_. They could very well all be dead in the next few days. She'd decided not to take this to the grave with her.

"You're what's wrong!" She cried, not even bothering to fight back the tears this time. "You!"

"Me? What did I do?"

"Nothing! That's why I'm angry! Because you don't do anything!"

"Anything about what?" He demanded.

"About us!"

"Us?"

"Yes, us!" She squawked shoving her hands into his chest and knocking him back a little. "We keep having these moments where I think you'll finally realise how I feel about you and you... you..." she couldn't find the words. Her mind knew what she wanted to say but her lips were having a hard time forming the words.

"Sheena..." Lloyd said with a half-smile.

"No! Don't 'Sheena' me." She snapped pointing a finger at him. "You tell me you care about me, that I'm different from the others, that you don't have to worry about what you say and do around me and every time you make me think that there could be something here you go and ruin it!"

"Sheena please, listen..."

"No Lloyd, I'm done. I can't keep doing this anymore. It hurts. I care about you Lloyd, more deeply than I care to say and..."

Then he silenced her. His lips were on hers and she felt the warmth of his body wrap itself around her. She was startled at first, too shocked to react. But when her mind caught up she wrapped her arms tightly around him and pulled him in for a deeper kiss. She tried to think straight, but the more he kissed her the less coherent her thoughts became. It became more passionate the longer it went on, his arms running up and down her body, her hands running through his hair. He was breathing heavily through his nose and she responded to his kiss and touches with a quiet moan in her throat.

Eventually he pulled away, slowly, and she let out a gasp for air as their foreheads touched. She giggled as he stroked her cheek and gave her a light kiss on the lips.

"Did I ruin this one?" He smirked.

"Definitely not," she said, circling a finger on his chest. "Let's go back."

"Okay," he said before pulling her in for another kiss.

She took his hand as they made their way back to the inn, stopping a couple of times on the way for another kiss. On the lower streets he pinned her against the wall beneath a street lamp. His hands were on her hips and hers were in his hair again. She couldn't believe how great he was, how fantastic his body felt against hers and the tingling she got in her middle when she kissed him. As he pressed his body closer to hers, their kiss growing even more passionate she could feel his want for her pressing into her. It sparked something in her, something from her middle, right up to her chest. She wanted him, and she could feel that he wanted her too.

They only stopped when a night guard called out through the fog, obviously hearing some sort of commotion.

"Come on, let's go," he laughed taking her hand and running through the snow.

She giggled all the way back to the tavern and they crept in through the front door, shutting the snow and cold behind them.

Sheena didn't realise how warm it actually was in the tavern, but she suspected Lloyd was the real reason. She grabbed him by the collar of his cloak and pulled him into another kiss and they awkwardly made their way upstairs. Their attempt at remaining quiet failed as Lloyd accidentally knocked over a few left over mugs on the tables.

"Come on," Sheena whispered, pulling away from his kiss and parting her lips as she gasped for air.

They eventually found their way upstairs and after a particularly long kiss Lloyd took Sheena's hand.

"I guess I'll show you to your room then, that's gentlemanly, isn't it?" He laughed.

"No Lloyd," she answered with a seductive smile. "You're going to show me to _your _room. You have one to yourself don't you?"

He looked nervous, she could tell. She was nervous too. But she didn't want to show him that, she wanted to this to happen, and if he thought she was nervous about it he wouldn't go through with it. He didn't say anything but he took her hand and they quickly made their way to his room. She was the last one in and she locked the door behind her.

She eyed Lloyd up and down, still feeling the heat from their embrace. She jumped up at him, wrapping her legs around his middle and feeling his strong hands grab her buttocks.

They locked lips again and she sucked on his bottom lip as his grip on her got tighter.

"Take me to the bed Lloyd," she whispered in his ear. He complied silently, kissing her again.

He threw her on the bed and slowly crawled towards her.

She unbuttoned his jacket as quickly as she could and threw it to the floor, the metal studs and buttons scratching against the wood floor as it slid across. She worked her mouth from his lips to his neck and he reached behind her and untied the ribbon that held her kimono together. He wasn't nearly so reckless with her attire as she was with his, and gently tossed it to the floor as she moved her hands down his chest and stomach and began to lift up his undershirt.

He raised his arms to let her take off the shirt. She met him on her knees and stopped the shirt as she was pulling it over his head, leaving only his mouth visible. He reached out with his mouth to kiss but she pulled away, giggling. He laughed and tried again, only this time he hit his target.

His shirt eventually came off, as did the bodice she wore under hear kimono. She moved her hands across his hard chest and stomach, taking careful note of each scar and mark. Mementos from his many battles, though none of them did anything to mar his beauty. She could feel her middle reacting to the sight and feel of his body. She wanted him, she _really, really _wanted him.

His hands moved around her back, towards the fastenings of her bra. He was going to see more than anyone had ever seen, but she didn't care. She wanted him to look on her as she had done him. Her bra came off and she saw his eyes fall to her breasts. He liked what he saw, she could tell. Lloyd had never been like Zelos, or other lecherous men she had known. He never stared, but she was glad to know now that he admired her form. Zelos had always told her she was sexy, but it wasn't until Lloyd looked on her that she felt it.

His right hand grabbed her left breast as he slowly lowered her and pinned her to the bed. His lips were locked with hers again as his other hand moved all over her body. He played with her breasts and she could feel her nipples harden with every touch. His touch was a little clumsy at times, but he was new to this, they both were. Even still, this was most pleasure she had ever felt her entire life. Moaning at his touch, she clawed his stomach with her nails and made her way to the buckles of his belts. There was a lot of them, more than she thought.

His lips moved down her neck and towards her chest. He kissed the tops of her breasts before making his way to her nipples and she could barely focus enough to take his belt off.

He laughed, sensing her frustration.

"There's so many," she giggled, thinking she had finally got one. "Dammit," she muttered before biting down on his shoulder.

"I'll get it," he laughed.

He knelt up again and began un-buckling his various belts. She pulled her legs out from under him and slid off the black tights she wore under her kimono. There were just her undergarments left and then there would be nothing between her and Lloyd left unseen. He went to take off his trousers but she sat up and stopped him.

"No," she smiled with a seductive glint in her eye. "I want to do that."

He didn't protest. He just moved his mouth to her neck and kissed it up and down as she slid down his trousers, pausing and allowing him to move so she could take them off all the way.

She grabbed the top of his underwear as she carefully resumed the position under him and his hands made their way down to hers. Kissing him again, their breathing heavy, they both slowly slid off the last piece of clothing they had left on.

She moved her hands across his groin, running her fingers through his hair before stroking his member. It was hard, she knew it would be, but she hadn't expected it to be so stiff. She had no experience in any of this. It felt so big, she couldn't know if it was in comparison to others, it was the only one she had seen, never mind touched. But it felt huge and she couldn't imagine it being inside her. She didn't want this to be a bad experience. It had already being so good, so passionate and magical.

She responded to his moans of pleasure as she moved her hand up and down his member. She didn't know if what she was doing was right, but from the noises Lloyd was making she got the impression it was. Zelos had books on this sort of thing, and curiosity had made her peek once one night the group stayed at his mansion. She put the book away pretty quickly, but she had read a few lines on "preparation".

As she explored him, his hands explored her, moving down from her breasts towards her middle. They almost jerked when he reached hers. She didn't think he expected her to be wet. She suspected he didn't know much about what he was doing. That he was acting on what his instincts and his body told him. But he wasn't deterred, his hands moved around her and her body exploded at his touch. He took the noises she made as a good signs and carried on with what he was doing as she carried on with him.

Their mouths locked again and he moved his hands back up to her shoulders and pushed her gently against the bed. She kept hold of his, slowly guiding him towards her.

"Make love to me Lloyd," she whispered looking deep into his soft, brown eyes.

He kissed her again as she laid back, guiding him into her very slowly.

As she suspected, and as she had been told by women older than her, it hurt. It hurt like hell. She hissed through her teeth as he slowly inched just a part of himself inside.

"Are you okay?" he asked in barely more than a whisper. "I can stop," he said, though even he didn't sound that convinced.

"No, don't stop, I want this Lloyd. I want you," she gasped as he inched just a tiny bit more inside her.

"But if it's hurting..."

"It'll stop, please Lloyd..."

She grabbed the back of his head and pulled him towards her for another kiss. His tongue was in her mouth, and she responded by massaging it with hers. The pain was still there, but it wasn't as bad as it first was, and his kisses and touch helped her forget. Despite the pain, this was still the greatest she had _ever_ felt and the more he inched in, the wetter she got. She knew there was blood. She wasn't sure if Lloyd knew that though. But she didn't care. He began to move in her, slowly still but now she could feel almost all of him inside her and the pain of losing her virginity was going.

She wrapped her legs around his back, pulling his body closer to hers until eventually all of him was inside her.

"Sheena, I..." he gasped. "Sheena!"

"I want you to start moving Lloyd. Just..." she could barely speak. She wasn't sure if the pain would still be there but as he started to move she couldn't tell anymore. It was replaced by ecstasy and the elation of her body merging with his. She felt like she wanted to burst.

He started to move in her, still only slowly but now he was forming a rhythm. They just did as their bodies told them and she knew it was right because of how fantastic she felt. He was moving in her faster and faster, as he did she was getting wetter and wetter, letting him move in her with ease.

"Lloyd," she gasped, digging her nails into his back. "Oh Lloyd! Lloyd!"

He let out a long grunt of pleasure as his rhythm grew wild. The entire bed was shaking, the wooden headboard banging against the wall.

"Sheena!" He cried as he thrust in her, faster and faster, responding to her moans with even more vigour. Her nails were digging so deep into his back she was sure she had drawn blood.

"Oh Lloyd! Yes, Lloyd!" she gasped. She couldn't contain herself; she couldn't imagine anything could ever feel this amazing. She bit down on his shoulder, her teeth sinking deep as he continued thrusting and grunting.

With a final thrust he cried out her name and she felt him climax, all his ecstasy and fury shooting inside her. She could feel his member throbbing when it was still in her and her legs were shaking. He relaxed his body on top of hers and he let out a long, exasperated sigh. His breathing was as heavy as hers, his sweaty body merging with her own as he laid his forehead on the pillow next to her. She kissed his cheek and neck softly, her legs still twitching as she stroked his strong back.

He began to pull out of her, but she gripped his back and pulled him closer to her. She still wanted him inside her, at least for a short time longer, even if he wasn't as stiff as he had been before. It felt right him being in her, she wanted to savour the moment.

"I can't believe we just did that," he laughed, still breathless.

"I know," she replied, panting a little. "That was amazing Lloyd."

"It was," he smiled kissing her gently on the lips. "I didn't even know what I was doing, I was nervous I was going to do something wrong."

She let out a short, breathless chuckle.

"You did just fine," she ran a finger down his sweaty back.

He began to pull out of her again, and this time she let him. He collapsed onto his back and she wrapped her arms and legs around him. He stroked her shoulders and arms and looked up and down her body.

"Sheena, there's blood!" His eyes had widened and he went to get up but she pushed him down firmly. She didn't want this moment ruined.

"Its fine Lloyd, don't worry. That always happens on a woman's first time," she kissed his jaw gently and he relaxed, enveloping his arms around her.

They just laid there for a while, neither of them saying anything. Their naked bodies quickly cooling and drying in the cold night's air. The fire of the hearth had died out long before they returned but both of them had been too distracted to do anything about it at the time. Eventually the cold was getting too much and they both wrapped themselves under the quilts.

He kissed her forehead as she buried her back against his chest, his arms still wrapped tightly round her. There, in that moment, Sheena had felt the happiest she had ever felt in her entire life. She had just made love to the most important man in her life, someone she loved from the very bottom of her heart. She knew it wouldn't stay like it forever. That soon it would be time to fight again, but at least now, she knew, that when all this was over, she had him.

Sheena drifted off into sleep quickly and the last thing she heard before she fell asleep was Lloyd's gentle voice whispering in her ear.

"I love you, Sheena Fujibuyashi."

She knew she hadn't been asleep long; it was Lloyd that woke her. He was sat on the edge of the bed, pulling his undershirt back over his torso and fastening the laces of his boots.

"What are you doing?" she mumbled, still groggy.

"Go back to sleep," he said sweetly. "I just want to head out for a bit, go for a walk."

"Come back to bed," she pleaded, her eyes still closed and her arm clumsily reaching out to stroke his back.

"I won't be long Sheena, I just want to think some things over, there's a lot going on," he replied.

Sheena didn't like the idea of it, but she knew it was something he needed. Recently Lloyd was in the habit of going off by himself. Whenever it was because he'd flipped out he'd return a long while later, calmed down, but still angry. Occasionally though he just liked to go and think things over, and when he did, there was never an incident involving his temper. She wanted to avoid an argument with him so she wouldn't insist he stay.

"Don't be long then," she smiled as he leaned in to kiss her.

"I won't, I promise," he said after he pulled away from her. "Keep the bed warm for me."

"I'll keep more than that warm for you," she giggled.

She heard him chuckle and she curled herself up in the bed, wrapping the rest of the quilts around her like a cocoon. She fell asleep almost instantly. She didn't hear Lloyd pick up his swords; she didn't see the dark gleam in his eyes as he left the room, swords in hand and with a violent, righteous determination on his face

* * *

**A/N: **And there it is; the first chapter in a completely new _The Darkness of the Eternal Swordsman_ saga. This one definitely turned out better than last time. Writing Lloyd in this is difficult. He's just such an honest-to-goodness hero in the game so anytime he's nasty it just seems wrong, I tried to keep him in character as much as possible though. I didn't write the sex scene last time either because I was far too young and inexperienced to write like I knew what I was on about. Writing it from a female perspective was difficult and I know a lot of women don't enjoy their first time because it's just too painful but I couldn't write it like that, it's not romantic or sexy. I don't like writing them altogether, just feels awkward, but I felt it necessary tbh. I'm not pleased with it, but I think it turned out okay. Now, I know there's no such place as Snowbay or other ninja clans in the game but I think, realistically there could be and anyway its fanfiction, so who cares? And expect more made-up towns the further we get into this. Being English I felt disappointed with myself writing arse as "ass" and mum as "mom" but that's what its like in the game so I tried to stick to it :P Also, you get bonus points if you can spot the Mass Effect 3 reference! Anywho, hoping to have another chapter up by the weekend. Please, leave a review, it's always nice to see feedback and I'll see you all with the next instalment.

Daniel the Dragonfly...


	2. Near the end of his descent

**The Darkness of the Eternal Swordsman**

**Part One:**

**The Fall of the Eternal Swordsman**

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who read the previous chapter and a big thank you to Maurice A. Nigma for adding this story to their favourites! Would be nice to hear some feedback from those of you reading; I won't lie, I like reviews ;) Anyway I won't ramble, on with the story!

* * *

**Chapter Two: **Near the end of his descent

"That _does _feel nice," Sheena hummed contentedly as Lloyd brushed the sponge softly against her slender shoulders. The soapy water slid down her pale skin and back into the washtub, splashing Lloyd's naked torso and rippling into the water. Most of the bubbles had gone now, though the water was still warm.

They'd been like this for most of the day, their bodies naked and wrapped around each other. They'd only left the bedroom because Sheena had insisted she wanted to take a bath and Lloyd refused to let her go without him. Not that she had a problem with any excuse to spend time with him – especially when he was naked.

"We should probably eat at some point today you-know," Lloyd laughed as he pressed the sponge down her neck and arms.

"I thought you wanted to go back to the bedroom?" Sheena giggled, grinding her naked body against him. She heard him grunt a little uncomfortably, but only because she knew he was having a hard time controlling himself. She took great pleasure in teasing him like that.

"Oh I do," he said quietly kissing her neck. "But I also _really _need to eat. Last night took it out of me."

"And this morning? And all the way through the afternoon?" She closed her eyes and leant into him as his mouth moved up and down her neck and shoulders.

"Really, _really_ took it out of me," he kissed her cheek and took the sponge to her chest.

"I suppose," she said, enjoying his touch. "I guess the others will want to know where we've been all day."

She felt Lloyd pause and she opened her eyes. He put the sponge on the side of the washtub and placed his hand on her shoulder. Turning her neck to face him she saw he had a troubled look in his eye.

"What are we going to tell the others?" He asked. "About us?"

"Well," she said turning her body around to lay on his and placing her hands flat against his chest. "What do you want to tell them?"

"The truth I suppose. That we're... together." He shrugged. "That we're..."

"Lovers?" Sheena whispered, drawing a circle on his chest with her index finger.

"Yeah, lovers... I like that word," he smiled his big goofy smile and Sheena couldn't help leaning up to kiss him.

Their kiss was long and passionate and he put his hands on her back and pulled her closer to him. It wasn't long before his hands were up and down her entire body. She could feel him growing hard underneath her as his tongue found its way in her mouth. It was all she could do to not give into his want right there.

"Lloyd," she whispered, "we... we can't, not here." Her tone of voice didn't even convince herself that it was a bad idea, let alone her paramour.

They'd been fortunate enough that the washroom was empty, but anyone could down at any moment and use one of the other empty washtubs that filled the tavern's basement.

"Come on Sheena, no-one's coming down here," he growled, biting her bottom lip.

"Lloyd... no..." she gasped as one of his hands made its way round to her front and down in between her legs. She let out a loud moan of pleasure as he rubbed her, using his surprisingly nimble fingers to fill her with ecstasy. Despite knowing it was an extremely bad idea, Sheena complied with his want. Something about Lloyd made her go crazy. She could barely think when he touched her like that, and just the very idea of him being inside her again caused her to lose all rationality.

She lifted herself above him slightly and gasped as she felt him slide in. It was no longer like it was last night. There was no pain. When they were intimate again this morning there had been a slight, sharp pain when he first entered, but not like it had been before. The more they were together though, the easier, and better, it became.

The water splashed up and out of the tub as she straddled him, their hips moving in sync and her body reacting to his every touch and kiss. She already felt like she wanted to burst and she had to bite down on his shoulder to stop herself screaming out as he thrust up deep into her.

"Oh Lloyd," she whimpered. "Lloyd!"

"I love you Sheena," he whispered into her ear between gasps.

"I love you too," she said breathlessly digging her hands into his shoulders.

His rhythm became fierce and more and more water spilt out over the washtub and soaked the floor. She whimpered at his intrusion and bit down on his shoulder even harder. She wanted to scream out so loud; even the noises he made drove her crazy.

"Sheena! Sheena!" he growled, almost like an animal as he thrust deep into her.

"Ah, Lloyd!" she cried. "Oh yes! Lloyd!"

With a final thrust she felt him release inside her, their bodies throbbing in unison and she collapsed on his chest panting. She could hear his heart racing and found his deep, long breaths soothing.

"That just keeps getting better and better," he laughed, kissing her head.

"It does," she sighed. "I can't believe we just did that here. What is about you that makes me so crazy?"

"My handsome face?" he chuckled stroking her back. She laughed and planted a long kiss on his lips. When they parted their eyes met. She looked into his soft brown eyes. They were so beautiful. He was beautiful. Everything about him was beautiful. The shape of his nose and chin, his dorky hair and goofy smile. But especially his big brown eyes. It was impossible to believe that she had seen them look so dark, so cold and so cruel before. Like he was another person.

"I love you Sheena," he smiled. "I love you so much."

"I love you too Lloyd," she said resting her head back on his chest. It felt so good to be able to say that aloud to him and it felt better when he said it to her.

"No matter what?"

"Hmm?"

"You'll love me, no matter what?" he sounded nervous, scared even. She looked back up at him.

"What's wrong Lloyd?" she asked.

"Nothing, I just... I know sometimes I can get angry and that I take it out on people. I know I've done some bad things but... you'll always love me, won't you?"

"Of course Lloyd," she said sweetly. "No matter what happens, I'll only ever love you. You're everything to me Lloyd."

"Good," he smiled. He sounded relieved. "As it should be."

She laughed and kissed him again. As they kissed, his hands exploring her body, she was surprised to feel something of his grow hard again.

"Again?" she laughed, pretending to be uninterested, but she knew Lloyd would see right through that.

"I can't control myself around you," he whispered kissing her ear and neck.

It was probably risky to try anything again but even still she didn't stop him when he was inside her again. They could very well die soon. She wanted to make the most of what little time she would have with him.

When they finally made their way back upstairs they were greeted by a certain blonde Chosen, welcoming them with a warm smile.

"Genis and Regal are back!" she exclaimed grabbing their hands and showing them over to the table the group had claimed for themselves.

Colette sat Sheena and Lloyd next to Presea, whom greeted them both with a strange smile.

"You two both seem in good spirits," she mused.

"Um, thanks... I guess," Sheena half-laughed, not wanting to divulge to everyone the reason she had a huge smile on her face. "How's Altessa?" She asked; turning to face the blue-haired, muscled ex-convict who was currently sat stirring something into his tea.

"He'll recover. It was close," he said quietly. "Raine chose to stay behind to help finish treatment. She will return tonight."

"So when are we going to move against Cruxis?" Lloyd asked his impatience clear in his tone of voice.

"Raine says tomorrow would be best," chipped in Genis, brushing some of his silver hair from his eye. "She wants everyone to make sure we're fully stocked on supplies and that we all get a good night's rest."

"We've had too many nights to rest," Lloyd snarled. "We should be moving now dammit!"

"If we rush into this fight ill-prepared we will lose," Regal said, his voice always one of reason. "We're going to try and rectify the damage Mithos has done. We owe it to the world to be at our best when we try and save it."

"Whatever," Lloyd shrugged.

"So we're doing this tomorrow then, huh?" Zelos asked looking up from his hands.

"Yes, we are," Lloyd replied. "We've waited too long. We're going to stop Mithos once and for all."

"What about the Eternal Sword?" Colette asked. "You can't wield it, remember?"

"I don't think Raine or I could handle it either," Genis said.

"Don't worry about it," Zelos said with a carefree wave of his hands. "I can handle that."

"How?" Lloyd asked quickly.

"When I became Chosen I was given mana injections, latest in Tethe'allan technology apparently."

"And?"

"And, that makes me a human with elven blood in him," Zelos smirked. "The great and powerful Zelos will be able to handle that sword no problem!"

Sheena eyed the overconfident Chosen. The Mizuho Information Network knew almost everything about Tethe'allan technology and she certainly didn't recall anything about mana injections that would make someone, in a magical sense, a half-elf. If she didn't know any better, she'd swear he was lying. But that was idiotic. Sure, he could be sneaky and he was a disgusting pervert. But she didn't doubt he was a good and honest person when it came down it.

"Good, so we have a plan," Lloyd said, interrupting her thoughts. He stood up. "I'm going to go practise, if we're gonna waste more time here I want to do something useful."

"I'll join you," Regal said, also standing. "I haven't had chance to practise for the past couple of days."

"Okay, anyone else?"

"I'll join you," Presea said quietly. "Allow me a moment to get my gear."

"I'll come too," Zelos jumped up to make a big deal of himself. "I think I've exhausted every possible source of entertainment in this city anyway."

Sheena had regretted her decision to stay in the city with Colette and Genis. It wasn't that she didn't mind their company, but going out and getting some more practise in before the final battle tomorrow would have been better than staying at the tavern and watching Genis and Colette play some Sylveranti card game.

"They've been gone a while, haven't they?" Colette said after losing a hand of cards to Genis.

"Lloyd's just probably pushing everyone as hard as he can," Genis replied not looking up from his cards. "You know what he's been like."

"Yeah," Colette smiled sadly.

"How has he been while we've been gone?" Genis asked.

Sheena and Colette exchanged a quick glance before she answered.

"Not as bad as he was when the Professor left," Colette said quietly. "I don't think it's going to be long before he cracks again."

"I could tell," Genis mumbled, resting his head in his hands. "Raine was so mad when we left... But more than that, I think she was upset."

Sheena wasn't sure what to say. She had been so swept up in how much her relationship with Lloyd had changed that she had forgotten all about the argument between Raine and Lloyd before she left. She had completely forgotten how harsh and cruel he had been.

A silence hung between all of them, none of them looking at each other. It was only when the table of men from the other night erupted in cheer did Sheena eventually looking up from the table.

It was the guard Godfrey from the other night. He looked pale and shaken and he wasted no time in getting himself a large drink before joining his friends. She and Colette exchanged worried glances. She could tell Colette hadn't stopped thinking about the fate of those poor women.

"What news today?" the man she recognised as Tom asked. "Any word on those bandits?"

"Oh there was word alright," Godfrey replied before a large gulp of ale. "Two of them came running into the city this morning, delirious."

"What happened?"

"They wanted us to arrest them; they said it was safer."

"Safer?"

"Aye, they said something attacked them in the cave they were all hiding out in," Godfrey explained. "A fire demon they claimed. They said they wanted locking up where it couldn't get them."

"A fire demon? By Martel, what nonsense. They probably just hoped you'd go easy on them if they turned themselves in."

"Well, they certainly did look unhappy when we said we were going to execute them anyway," Godfrey said, but his expression was still dark. "But that isn't the worst of this."

"Then what is?"

"They told us where they were hiding out, so a few of us went to investigate," Godfrey finished his drink and promptly shouted for another. Sheena wasn't sure whether he was addicted to the drink or that it helped him deal with the stresses of being a city guard.

"What did you find?" Another man asked, unlike the others he was beardless.

"We found a slaughter is what we found," Godfrey paled. "It was a cave in the mountains to the east of the city. There were a couple of bodies outside the cave mouth... they'd been ripped apart by _something_."

Sheena and Colette looked at each other immediately. Sheena felt her heart drop into her stomach. She didn't want to believe it, but she had a horrible feeling Lloyd was responsible for the fates of those men.

When he left last night Sheena had fallen asleep almost instantly so she didn't know how long he had been gone. She had heard him come in though. He undressed quickly and crawled into the bed next to her, just as naked as she was. His body was so cold, but she didn't care. She wrapped her arms around him in an attempt to warm him. He was shuddering uncontrollably, but it wasn't just from the cold. He sounded as though he was crying.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Do you love me?" was all he asked.

"Yes, I do," she replied.

"No matter what I do? You'll still love me?" He sounded panicked.

"Of course Lloyd. Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing," he replied quickly. "I just wanted to know that."

After that he brought her into his arms and they both fell back to sleep. She should have suspected last night why he had left, but she had been so caught up in her feelings for him. She had just been happy to have him back in bed with her.

"The snow was red, everywhere," Godfrey carried on. "Couple of us went inside. We were met with the same mess. Bodies ripped apart, blood everywhere. Anything man-made in that cave had been set ablaze, it was awful."

"Those disgusting men deserved such an end," Hildey hissed as she brought Godfrey his second drink.

"Shush woman!" Godfrey barked. "No man deserves an end like that. It should have been our justice that brought them to their end."

"Tell that to all the women they violated," Hildey spat, slamming Godfrey's ale on the table and spilling a little.

"Martel's sake woman!"

"My name is Hildey!"

"Bah!" Godfrey waved her away.

"Sounds like someone beat you to them then," Tom mused.

"Not someone," Godfrey said his voice edgy, as if he was afraid of something. "_Something_."

"Don't talk nonsense," Tom laughed. "There's no such thing as fire demons."

"Whatever killed those men wasn't natural," Godfrey replied. "There were at least eight of them, not including our friends in the dungeon. I could almost believe the men had been killed by a sword if it wasn't for the burned flesh. You couldn't set a body alight in that cold. Definitely not with natural fire, and you'd have to be a skilled magician to cast a fire spell out in that. No... Something inhuman killed those men and it's still out there. I think our problems might have gotten worse."

Sheena felt sick. If only Godfrey knew. It really was just a man that killed those bandits. The burned flesh was easy enough to explain. After they had all made the pact with Efreet, the great Summon Spirit of Fire had gifted them with a garnet ring. Lloyd had claimed it for himself and it had augmented his powers with the fire element. Sheena remembered the first time he used a Tempest attack with the ring equipped. Lloyd had thrown himself at their enemies in a beautiful, dazzling wheel of intense fire that had cut down their enemies with such ease.

Those men deserved to be punished, she wouldn't refute that. But she couldn't believe Lloyd would seek them out and slaughter them like that. Sure, they'd all killed people before. But only when they had no other choice. What good would it do the world if they killed people just because they deserved it? It invited chaos. It was a tragic reality of war, she knew. But those bandits weren't part of this war. They were scum, scum who should have met justice at the hands of the city guard. The victims and their families needed to see that justice, and Lloyd had taken that way from them.

"At least we found out who was leading those men," Godfrey said after slurping his drink.

"Who?"

"One-eyed Scather," Godfrey answered.

"The Fooji Highwayman?"

"Yup the same," Godfrey drank again. "Found his head on a pike just outside the cave."

"Oh my," Colette gasped, holding her hand to her mouth. "Sheena... Sheena, how could he do that?" Colette was fighting back tears. "How could he do something so horrible?"

"Where did the others say they were going to train?" Sheena asked Genis.

"About half a mile from the city walls. There's an area where the snow isn't as thick," Genis answered, a little confused by what had happened.

"I'm going to go find him," Sheena said to Colette before she went to grab her cloak.

* * *

It didn't take Sheena long to find the others, even in the snow and wind rehairds moved surprisingly fast. Their training ground was a mess. There were craters and exposed earth. Blast marks littered the ground and a lot of the snow had melted from the heat of their attacks.

Looking on at their sparring session she could see that Regal, Presea and Zelos had teamed up against Lloyd. Usually when they all sparred like this it would be in even teams, or an every-man-for-himself situation. But this looked intense and she didn't like it. It also looked as if Lloyd had the upper hand. Out of all them, he had the less bruises and cuts. His Star Mail and helm shining even in the low light and his flare cape billowed in the wind.

He held his Kusagnagi Blades at the ready as Regal came charging towards him, his body surrounded by an ethereal green light. Regal's Battle Cloak was covered in thick snow, his long blue hair was held in place with his white headband and his Glory Arts greaves had scorch marks on them from where they had obviously defended against Lloyd's swords.

Regal jumped into the air, surrounded by light, before he came zooming down towards Lloyd.

"Eagle Rage!" He roared as he came charging down.

Lloyd quickly back-flipped out of the way and Regal crashed into the earth, resulting in an eruption of snow and rock.

Lloyd jumped up into the air, his body surrounded by hot flames that melted the snow around him. Fiery wings formed from his arms before he pointed his swords forward and flew towards Regal.

"Rising Phoenix!" He came flying down at such speed that Regal barely had time to raise his defences. Though he managed to raise his Bastion shield in time, the force from Lloyd's attack broke his shield and sent the large man flying through the air and crashing into the snow.

During this time Presea had charged forward and jumped in the air, raising her Gaia Cleaver high above her.

"Decimating Storm!" the small axwoman called as she brought the axe to the ground. There was a burst of electricity and rock from the ground but Lloyd had reacted quickly and protected himself with Guardian.

Acting while Presea was open, he swung his swords around in a fiery dance and slammed his shoulder into her.

"Raging Beast!" he cried as the ethereal form of a lion's head erupted from his body. Its mane was cloaked in fire and it roared loudly as it engulfed Presea's tiny body and sent her skidding into the snow and rock.

Just then, the ground beneath Lloyd rose up into a sharp spike. Lloyd quickly dodged it but another rose up right afterwards, and another and another. Lloyd had been trapped underneath them and his body was wracked with earth energy.

Right after his Grave attack Zelos charged towards Lloyd, his Last Fencer in his hand and he brought it down on the younger swordsman.

"Grave Blade!" Zelos' battle cry echoed all around them as a shockwave of yellow light and stalagmites wrecked Lloyd's defences.

Lloyd's exsphere began emitting a white light before it burst from his body. The rocks trapping him disintegrated and Zelos stumbled a little.

Lloyd darted towards him and Zelos blocked his attack with his shield. Lloyd followed it up with another attack, which Zelos deflected again, though time with some struggle. Zelos went to bring his sword down on Lloyd again but he deflected with such ferocity that Zelos almost lost grip.

"Hit me!" Lloyd screamed.

Zelos tried to strike him again, but like before Lloyd parried his attack.

"Hit me dammit!" He sounded angry and frustrated. His attacks became furious. With each blow more fire erupted from his blades and now Zelos was having to use magic to block Lloyd's attack.

Zelos tried to hold his ground, putting up a barrier against Lloyd's attacks. Zelos was an idiot, Sheena would admit that much, but she wouldn't deny he was an accomplished magic swordsman. But even now, with his exsphere-enhanced magic, Zelos was struggling to defend against Lloyd's attacks.

In what sounded like breaking glass, Lloyd had finally broken through Zelos' Guardian barrier and was now blocking Lloyd's attacks with his Rare Shield. His feet were giving way as more and more furious blows from Lloyd forced the Chosen to one knee.

Lloyd was screaming in anger with each blow, his eyes sharp and narrow. Something in his face had changed and he looked nothing like the young man who had not long ago made love to her.

With another blow Lloyd had knocked Zelos' shield out of his hands, forcing the Chosen to feebly defend himself with his sword.

Sheena tried to make her way through the snow when she had landed her rehaird. This was getting out of hand. Regal had only just got back up and he had fought his way through the snow to check on Presea.

With a loud roar Lloyd whacked the Last Fencer from Zelos' hand, disarming and ultimately defeating him. He didn't stop though. Instead he raised his swords high above him and flames surrounded the blades. He was readying to bring them down on Zelos.

"Lloyd! Stop!" Sheena cried, still struggling to get through the snow.

Her voice brought him to his senses and his eyes widened in shock. He looked down on Zelos, who quickly scrambled away on all fours and leaped for his sword. He turned and pointed it at Lloyd, his hands shaking.

Lloyd dropped his swords and reached out for Zelos.

"Zelos I..." he began but Zelos scrambled further away, still pointing his sword at Zelos.

"Lloyd, you could have killed him! What were you thinking?" Regal roared, helping Presea through the snow. Sheena had rarely seen Regal shout, but his wroth truly was something to be feared.

"I... I don't know." Lloyd grabbed his helmet and threw it to the ground, walking away and holding his head in his hands, screaming out in frustration.

Sheena helped Zelos up and the Chosen winced in pain when he got to his feet. Regal and Presea joined them, both looking at Sheena in shock.

"If you hadn't called out to him Sheena..." Presea said.

"Yeah, thanks babe," Zelos laughed, holding his stomach as he did so. "I promise; naked sexy time as thanks."

"Sod off Zelos," Sheena growled. Zelos laughed again, but laughing just made him hurt again.

"He needs to sort his head out, we should leave him to cool down," Zelos said.

"No, I'm going to talk to him," Sheena said helping Zelos make his way to Regal so he could lean on the large duke instead. As Sheena went to approach Lloyd Regal put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not wise to go near him now," he warned. "I fear for your safety."

"He won't hurt me," Sheena said, ignoring Regal's warning and scrambling through the snow to get to Lloyd.

Lloyd stood at the edge of their sparring ground, facing out over the fast fields of snow before them. His cape was still billowing in the wind and his spiky hair had resumed its natural style after being under a helmet for so long. He watched the others fly away on their rehairds before looking down at his feet.

"What happened there, Lloyd?" Sheena asked grabbing his hand and pulling herself close to him.

"I don't know... I lost it," he stammered. "I... I could see what I was doing, but it was like I wasn't in control of my body. I couldn't stop."

"You could have killed him."

"I know... if I hadn't heard your voice I... I..." he broke off. Neither of them wanted to hear him finish that sentence.

"What's happening to you Lloyd? You've been 'losing it' a lot lately. You get angry at everyone, you lash out."

"I don't know! It's like..." he ran his free hand through his hair. "It's like I've got this constant scratching in my head. I just want to scream and shout. I can't think straight most of time. I just want to smash everything around me pieces. I want to scream out at the top of my voice until I can't breathe. I want to..."

"Want to what?" she asked, afraid of what he might say next.

"I want to kill. Something, anything..."

"Lloyd!"

"I know! It's wrong, it's horrible. I hate it. I hate myself. The only time I feel normal and happy is when I'm with you," he said. his eyes back to their usual brown. He looked at her with such weakness in his eyes that she just wanted to hold him and hug him. "You keep this darkness in me at bay Sheena. I'm afraid of what would happen to me if I lose you."

"You won't lose me Lloyd," she stroked his cheek. He needed a shave, he was growing stubble. "I'll never leave you, but you need to fight this darkness inside of you. Otherwise you're going to hurt someone you care about."

"I know."

"You killed those bandits, didn't you?"

"Yes," he answered, not looking at her.

"Was that this 'darkness' in you again?"

"I don't know. When I heard about what they did I couldn't stop thinking about killing them. About getting revenge for the victims... it was justice."

"I thought you hated that word?"

"I do!" he cried, letting go of her hand and putting his against his temples. "I hate it so much. It's just an excuse but... but that's what it felt like. When I cut those bastards down, I felt right. It felt right."

"That wasn't justice Lloyd!" Sheena exclaimed. "Justice would have been to let the guards take care of them. How did you even know where to find them anyway?"

"I tracked them down after I left last night," he answered. "You can cover a lot of ground on a rehaird. I found them easy enough. And when I did, I killed them."

"You didn't just kill them Lloyd. You tore them apart. You even put their leader's head on a pike. You don't do something like that unless you enjoy killing!"

"But I did enjoy killing them," he said quietly.

"You what?" she gasped. She didn't want to believe what he just said. Lloyd would never enjoy killing, he hated it. There was nothing worse to Lloyd than the loss of life.

"They were pigs Sheena! What I did to them isn't nearly as bad as what they did to others."

"And the leader? Does what they did justify you cutting off his head and putting it on a stick as a trophy?"

"No!" He looked angry now. "That wasn't it at all."

"Then what is it?"

"I was going to spare him," Lloyd said quietly, but there was something dark in his voice. "I told him what he would do if I let him go. He told that he'd seek me out and kill me. I laughed at him and told him he could try and that I didn't care about dying," his eyes met hers again. "Then he asked me if there was someone special in my life. I didn't answer him but he laughed and said he could tell. He told me he would find her and..." he paused for a moment.

"I didn't mean to hit him so hard. But I lost it. I just kept hitting him and hitting him," he stopped to look down at his hands. "There was so much blood. I took my sword and I stabbed him in the chest, even though I knew he was dead. I stabbed him again and again and I felt... _good_, when I did. I cut off his head as a message to the others."

She held her hand to her mouth. He felt good about mutilating a dead man's corpse? He spoke with such righteousness about what he had done. She couldn't tell if he was ashamed or proud of what he had done and she wasn't sure she wanted to know either.

"I need to be alone for a while," he muttered. "You should go back."

"No," she said. "I want to stay with you."

"I need to think Sheena. If you stay, I'm just going to keep upsetting you and that's the last thing I want," he cupped her chin in his hands. "Please Sheena, go back. Don't worry about me."

"I don't want you to do anything stupid," she said, her voice getting a little shaky.

"I won't. I swear I just need to take a walk. Zelos is right, I need to cool down, sort my head out."

"Don't be long," she said, knowing it was pointless to argue.

"I won't. Wait for me in my room? I don't want to be away from you tonight." He brought his lips to hers and kissed her gently.

"Okay," she said, trying to smile.

She felt him watch as she flew away on her rehaird. It wasn't until she was sure she was out of sight that she let the tears she had fought back loose. Lloyd was slipping, and what hurt the most was that she didn't think she could save him.

* * *

Back at the inn they had all shared a quiet meal together. None of them said much and none of them had brought up Lloyd's absence. It didn't feel right Lloyd and Raine not being there. Tonight was likely to be there last night together, they should have made the most of it, but instead they sat in silence, exchanging nervous glances with one another.

They all went to bed early to rest up for the battles tomorrow and to prepare their gear. Sheena had moved her things to Lloyd's room. Laying out her "Kannazuki" battle robes that her grandfather gave her, she checked to make sure no new rips or tears had formed from her previous battles. It still seemed to be in good condition, so she didn't have to worry about the magical charms woven into its fabric being broken.

Lloyd still wasn't back yet, and it was getting late. She knew he could handle himself out there, that wasn't worried her. But what he was doing did. She still had the same heavy feeling in her stomach from earlier. Maybe it was nerves about tomorrow's battle? She had tried to convince herself a few times that that was the case. But deep down, she knew, it was because the man she had fallen in love with was slowly being consumed by some new darkness in his heart.

She threw herself on the bed and pulled out one of the Divine Judgement cards from her pocket; a prize she had won from Meltokio's Coliseum tournament. Using a bit of her own mana, she made the card float just a little above her chest and spin on its own.

Just hours ago, in this very bed she and Lloyd had made love for the first time. It was, without a doubt, one of the happiest moments of her life. The pleasure she had felt was unlike anything she had experienced before. His touch, his smell and voice. She remembered all of it so vividly. She wanted to cry. But she couldn't tell whether it was because she was happy or sad.

She heard footsteps outside and she sat up instantly, the card falling on her lap.

Lloyd entered, still in his armour. His face was so pale and there was still snow in his hair.

"Where have you been?" she asked getting up off of the bed.

"I went back to the balcony," Lloyd said as he unbuckled his sword belt. He propped the Kusagnagi Blades up against the wall and started to take off his armour. She moved towards him on silent feet and started to help him take it off.

"Is that where you've been all night?"

"Yeah," he said, lifting his arms up so she could take off the cuirass. "I just thought about what we were talking about last night. You know; Mithos' plans and stuff."

"Did you think about anything else?" she inquired as Lloyd started to take off his braces and gauntlets while she started to take off the leg guards.

"You, mostly," he said with a nervous laugh, throwing his armour to the floor and sliding off his boots.

"Nothing bad I hope," she smiled.

"No," he laughed again. He made his way to the bed, taking off his trousers and undershirt, leaving him in just his underwear. There were new cuts and bruises along his back. She hoped they were from today's sparring session. He collapsed down on the bed, turning on to his back and shifting over to make room for her. He started fidgeting with the garnet ring on his finger.

"I'm sorry for making you worry," he said eventually.

"It's fine," she replied. "Just don't do it again."

"I can't make any promises," he chortled. "Are you coming to bed?"

She felt her face go red. It sounded strange for him to say it. It sounded so casual and normal. Was he just that comfortable around her? She still felt a nervous wreck around him, yet he was just laying there; one hand behind his head while he looked down at the ring, stroking it with his thumb.

"Yeah," she said before pulling her nightwear from her pack. It was a simple black kimono that reached to the top of her thighs and left her arms exposed. It wasn't really ideal for the cold but she only had what she brought with her from Mizuho, it was never this cold there.

As she changed she was very aware that Lloyd was watching her. He'd seen her naked already, several times even. So why did she feel nervous about it all of a sudden? After she changed she quickly scrambled into the bed with him and tossed the blankets over them both. He moved his arm from under his head and wrapped it around her as she buried her face into his chest. His body was warm already and she silently took a long, deep breath through her nose, taking in his scent.

"So, tomorrow we make our move," he said quietly.

"Yeah, it's... it's strange to thing that by the end of tomorrow... everything could be over?"

"Yeah, whether we win or lose tomorrow _something _will change," he stopped stroking the ring with his thumb and wrapped his other arm around her.

"We should probably try and sleep," she said.

"Yeah," he agreed, somewhat absent-mindedly. "Sheena, you'll stick by me, won't you?"

"What do you mean Lloyd?" She asked. This kind of question was getting all too common from him.

"Tomorrow, whatever happens in the battle. Anything could go wrong couldn't it? We don't know what will happen but... you'll have my back, won't you?"

"I will Lloyd, as long as you have ours," she said, kissing his jaw.

"That's all I wanted to hear."

And with that, the two of them drifted into sleep still in each other's arms. Sheena's last thoughts as she drifted off were of Lloyd. If everything went to plan, if Mithos and Cruxis were defeated then just maybe, he wouldn't have to worry anymore. Maybe Lloyd could go back to his old self and the two of them could enjoy the new world together. It wasn't perfect, and now more than ever, her heart was filled with doubt but she had to hope, she had to.

The sun was strangely bright the following morning when the group met up outside the tavern. Maybe it was a good omen. Raine had arrived sometime in the night and was the first one to speak when everyone had gathered.

"So this is it," she said, leaning on her Crystal Rod. "Our last battle."

"It's about time," Lloyd said, checking his sword belt. "Is everyone ready for this?"

"Of course we are," Genis exclaimed, wrapped in his matching Star Cloak and Star Cap, his One World kendema attached to his belt.

"We're behind you Lloyd," Zelos said, Golden Helm and Armour glittering in the morning sun.

"Good," Lloyd nodded. "Our aim is the fall of Cruxis and claiming the Eternal Sword for ourselves."

"Genis filled me in on the plan," Raine said. "Zelos' magical blood will let him use the Eternal Sword?"

"We certainly hope so," Zelos laughed. "We're gonna be screwed otherwise."

"If it doesn't, we'll just find another way. We're going to end this one way or another," Lloyd clenched his fists. "Let's go everyone."

"Lloyd," Sheena whispered, pulling him back a little as everyone made their way for the city gates.

"What is it?"

"We're gonna... we're gonna be okay, aren't we?" She felt stupid for asking but she couldn't shake this feeling in her gut that everything was going to go wrong.

He smiled and cupped her face in his hand.

"No matter what happens Sheena, know that I love you, and I'll always be here for you," he kissed her forehead and pulled her in for a hug. "Everything's going to be alright."

"Good," she let out a short laugh. "As it should be."

* * *

**A/N: **And there is the second instalment! Not as long as the last one and it certainly wasn't anything exciting but hopefully the next chapter should be. Plenty of action and inner turmoil and all that other thrilling shizz. Anywho, two more chapters (possibly three if I drag it out a bit) and part one of this tale should be done. I'm really looking forward to getting onto part two, I have big plans for it and if there are people reading this that read the last version should enjoy it as well. Anywho, I'd be grateful if you guys gave me some feedback but just knowing you're reading is also good. Also, I know various weapons and gear I've mentioned isn't acquired until much later in the game but, I always thought it was silly that after opening the final door to Mithos everyone would just think "oh hey, let's go back and do stuff!" Works in the game, doesn't work as a narrative though ;) Anyway, that's it from me. I shall try to update soon!

Daniel the Dragonfly


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